Posted
by
Soulskill
on Friday October 21, 2011 @12:20PM
from the somebody-out-there-needs-an-inboard-outboard-toaster dept.

ptorrone writes "Imagine waking up and seeing your design for a circuit being used in a product by someone who never contacted you to ask if it was okay. You will not get any payment for their usage of your design, they've raised over $31,000, and they're selling something you worked really hard on. You have no control over what someone does with something you made. Is this a nightmare? Perhaps for some, but this is actually a dream come true for others who do open-source hardware. MAKE magazine profiles a maker using open-source hardware for his now-funded project and looks at others using open hardware for their works."

As someone with experience in this. Outsourcing doesn't save a company a lot of money, and it is usually better to hire local people to do the work.

1. Cultural problems. In the US we have Software Developers in India they have Programmers. The difference is US Software Developers think on their feet better, and put their artistic flare and pride in their work. In India you give them a spec you get your code. It meets the spec but without any fore-site or creativity in the process. So when the requirements do change they have to go back and re-code. Also US Developers are more willing to say they need help, when they see there wheels spinning. India programmers will just keep on going and going. You then ask them a week later why it isn't done they will go well I am stuck on step 1. To solve these problems you need an engaged management who cost more then the developer does, being that they need to do micromanaging they can probably only do 2 or 3 programmers while one manager can Manage 6-8 US Developers.

2. Time zones. The further you outsource the bigger the problem with time zones are. Not allowing the people to attend meetings or have them explain to you what they have been doing means more work disjointed to what needs to be done.

3. Lack on interpersonal communication. You don't know what each person strengths and weaknesses are. Giving them jobs that they cannot perform well.

4. Language problems. A joke or an attempt to be friendly can sometimes cause a problem.

There are a lot more too... Many companies are actually resourcing a lot of their work back, because they found that there is actually value to it.